How amateur Luke Clanton could earn TOUR card at WM Phoenix Open
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Luke Clanton is headed to the WM Phoenix Open on a sponsor exemption. He could leave Arizona with a guaranteed PGA TOUR card.
Clanton, a Florida State junior, begins the week with 18 points in PGA TOUR University Accelerated. He will earn a 19th point Wednesday when he reaches 26 weeks at No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. With a made cut at the WM Phoenix Open, he would earn the requisite 20th point to clinch a PGA TOUR card after the spring season.
There’s a 132-player field at the WM Phoenix Open, one of professional golf’s most raucous events, with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 players and ties. Clanton could secure his PGA TOUR card after the second round at TPC Scottsdale, likely Friday evening barring any delays to play.
Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent was the first player to secure his PGA TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated, earning his 20th point in fall 2023. Sargent could have turned pro and accepted TOUR membership in spring 2024, after his junior season, but he elected to return for his senior season and can accept TOUR membership after this spring’s NCAA Championship. Clanton too would have the option to return for his senior season (2025-26) and accept TOUR membership in spring 2026, if he elects not to turn pro this spring.
Clanton’s opportunity this week is the culmination of a sterling TOUR run for the past eight months. He has notched five top-15 finishes in just 10 starts, including runner-up showings at last year’s John Deere Classic and The RSM Classic. Two weeks ago, he finished T15 at the Farmers Insurance Open to earn his 18th PGA TOUR University Accelerated point, setting the stage for a potential #TOURBound moment in the Arizona desert.

Luke Clanton's approach to 12 feet yields birdie at Farmers
After Clanton’s success on TOUR last summer where he became the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 to notch three or more top-10s in a TOUR season, he was asked whether he would consider turning pro before his junior season. Clanton has been consistent in his desire to help bring a national championship to Florida State. The Seminoles narrowly fell to Auburn, 3-2, in last spring’s final with Clanton falling to Auburn’s John Marshall Butler in the anchor match, 2 and 1. Clanton has also appreciated the opportunity to earn a TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated, as opposed to turning pro and navigating the uncertain world of Monday qualifiers and sponsor exemptions.
Clanton has earned 13 PGA TOUR University Accelerated points via his TOUR achievements, with another five points by reaching No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He entered the TOUR spotlight at last summer’s U.S. Open, nearly earning low amateur honors before three-putting the final hole from 5 feet and finishing two short of his Sunday playing partner Neal Shipley. Rather than setting him back, the disappointment fueled him.

Luke Clanton's rise in PGA TOUR University Accelerated. (The Cut)
Clanton’s golf path was paved humbly. He grew up at the 36-hole, public-access Country Club of Miami, playing with U.S. Kids junior clubs until getting his first full set at age 12 or 13. His dad David has worked three jobs simultaneously – in landscaping, running a glass business and teaching golf, with his mom Rhonda working 15-hour shifts as a flight attendant. His sisters Ray and Abby sacrificed hobbies so Luke could pursue his golf dreams.
This week, Clanton’s journey could reach a crescendo with a PGA TOUR card.
Kevin Prise is an associate editor for the PGA TOUR. He is on a lifelong quest to break 80 on a course that exceeds 6,000 yards and to see the Buffalo Bills win a Super Bowl. Follow Kevin Prise on Twitter.